Singapore eSIM
Singapore eSIM plans on the Singtel and StarHub networks, 1–50 GB and unlimited, prepaid without a contract or registration — online at Changi Airport minutes after you land.
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2GB highspeed/day, then unlimited at 1Mbps
Your Selection
Your plan only starts counting when the eSIM first connects at your destination — so you can buy today and travel in three weeks.
How does Simbye eSIM work for Singapore?
Get connected in under 2 minutes
Set it up before you fly
You buy the eSIM online and immediately get an email with an installation link and a QR code. Set it up calmly at home on Wi-Fi – one click on the link is enough, and there is no access point to type in anywhere. After that the extra line sits inactive on your phone, waiting for the trip.
Arriving in Singapore
Almost everyone lands at Changi Airport, spread across Terminals 1 to 4 with Jewel in between; private and small regional flights use Seletar. If you come overland from Malaysia you cross at Woodlands or Tuas, and the ferries from Batam and Bintan dock at Tanah Merah and HarbourFront. Once you arrive, switch on data roaming for the Simbye line – your phone then connects to Singtel or StarHub by itself.
Validity and topping up
The validity period starts with your first connection in Singapore, not at purchase – so you can order weeks in advance. When your data runs low, top up at any time without setting the eSIM up again. Hotspot is allowed: a laptop, a tablet or your travel companion's phone can simply share the connection.
Check Device Compatibility
Make sure your device supports eSIM before purchasing
How much data do you need in Singapore?
So you can work it out instead of guessing: how much an hour costs in the apps you actually use on holiday.
The Netflix and Spotify figures come from the providers themselves (Netflix Help Center, Spotify Support, retrieved 28 Aug 2026). The rest are network-operator estimates (o2, Vodafone, EE) and vary with picture quality and reception.
Which networks will you be on in Singapore?
Both Singapore networks on one eSIM – your phone picks Singtel or StarHub automatically, and you can switch by hand at any time.
Average measured mobile internet performance, nPerf barometer (measured 01.04.2025 – 31.03.2026). What you actually get depends on where you are, the time of day and your phone.
The eSIM is not tied to a single network. It connects to Singtel or StarHub on its own – usually the first time you switch your phone on after landing at Changi Airport. Which of the two you end up on is decided automatically. There is nothing to configure and no access point to type in. If reception ever gets stubborn in one spot, turn off automatic network selection in your mobile settings, pick the other network by hand, then switch back to automatic afterwards.
In practice the difference is small, because both networks cover the whole city-state. Singtel and StarHub reach the downtown area around Marina Bay and Orchard Road just as well as Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam, Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa and East Coast Park, plus the residential and working districts from Jurong East through Tampines to Woodlands, and every terminal at Changi Airport including Jewel. On the MRT that holds underground too: tunnels and stations have mobile coverage, including the fully underground Downtown Line, so as a rule you stay online between stations.
eSIM or a local SIM card in Singapore?
| Compared | Simbye eSIM | Local SIM card |
|---|---|---|
| ID requirement | None. You show nobody a document and register nothing. | Mandatory. You must present your original passport at the counter, because the law requires it. |
| Validity period | Governed purely by your plan, 7 to 30 days. | Depends on the package you buy at the counter. |
| Number per person | Several eSIMs on the same phone, with no registration at all. | A maximum of three prepaid cards per ID document with each provider. |
| When you get online | Set up before departure, connected the moment you land at Changi. | Only after immigration and baggage claim, then queueing at a counter in the arrivals hall. |
| Price and currency | Paid in advance at a price you know, nothing turns up on your bill later. | In Singapore dollars (S$) at the counter, plus your bank's foreign currency fee. |
| Your home number | Stays active as a second line, so WhatsApp and SMS codes still reach you. | Only if your phone supports two lines, otherwise you have to take your own SIM out. |
| Local phone number | None. No calls, no SMS over the network – data only. | A Singapore number with +65 is included, and calls and texts work with it. |
| Topping up | In the app or online, at any time and from anywhere. | At a machine, in a 7-Eleven or at the provider's shop, in cash or by card. |
Why an eSIM plan for Singapore beats roaming on your home contract
To your provider, Singapore is a long-haul destination like any other, and billing follows the international price list – depending on your contract either per megabyte or through a day pass charged for every travel day, including days you barely look at your phone. What it adds up to usually only shows up on the invoice weeks later.
On top of that, almost everything in Singapore runs through the network. The map to the nearest hawker centre, the Grab back from Gardens by the Bay, the ticket for Sentosa, the boarding pass for your flight home, the restaurant booking. Public Wi-Fi is plentiful – at Changi Airport, and through Wireless@SG in malls and libraries – but you don't want to log in somewhere new before every single tap. A prepaid data plan removes exactly that hunt, and because you pay for it before you travel, nothing turns up on your bill afterwards.
Where the networks reach – and where they stop
The eSIM plans for Singapore all run on the same two networks, and Singapore is a city-state of just over 730 square kilometres, which shows in the coverage: there is barely a corner without signal. Marina Bay, Orchard Road, Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam, Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa, East Coast Park, the residential towns of Jurong East, Tampines and Woodlands, the terminals at Changi Airport including Jewel – you are covered throughout. Underground too: the MRT system, including its underground lines, has mobile coverage, so as a rule the connection holds between stations.
It thins out exactly where you would expect: on outlying islands such as Pulau Ubin, out on the water during a harbour cruise, and in deep basement levels. And one boundary is hard: this eSIM is for Singapore. If you take a day trip to Johor Bahru in Malaysia, or the ferry to Batam or Bintan in Indonesia, you will be without data there. Plan those side trips in and take a plan that covers the country in question.
Registration is required for local SIM cards – not for your eSIM
In Singapore, registering a prepaid SIM card is required by law. Anyone buying a local card at Changi Airport or in a shop must present their original passport, and each ID document may hold a maximum of three prepaid cards with each provider. None of this applies to your eSIM: it roams on the Singtel or StarHub network, you register nothing and show nobody a document.
The second point many people miss: coverage stops at the border. The popular day trip to Johor Bahru via the Woodlands or Tuas crossings, and the ferry to Batam or Bintan, both lie outside it – you will be without data there on this eSIM. And regardless of connectivity: the SG Arrival Card must be submitted within the three days before you arrive, through the MyICA Mobile app or the ICA authority's website. Without it, you can face delays on arrival.
Your eSIM in Singapore at a glance
- Networks
- Singtel Singapore + Starhub Singapore
- Setting it up
- A link in your email, or the QR code — one tap is enough
- Network technology
- 4G/LTE — and 5G where the network already offers it
- APN and settings
- Nothing to set. The eSIM brings everything with it
- Hotspot
- Allowed — for a laptop, tablet or a travel companion
- Adding more data
- Top up any time, without setting anything up again
- Calls and texts
- Not included — WhatsApp calls run over the data
- Your own number
- Stays in the phone and stays reachable
- Contract
- None. The plan ends by itself
- Worth knowing
- Roaming on your home contract gets billed here — this eSIM is prepaid, so nothing is added afterwards
The apps you actually need in Singapore
Two things set Singapore apart from most destinations. First, Uber does not exist here: Grab took over the Southeast Asian business in 2018 and has been the default app for anything on wheels ever since. Second, the country is thoroughly digital – the arrival card runs through an app, and you tap into buses and the MRT with the contactless card already in your pocket. If you want to go deeper into public transport, add MyTransport.SG from the transport authority LTA: live bus arrivals, how crowded the bus is, and MRT service alerts. One point applies to all of these apps: wherever a one-time SMS code is required to sign up, your data eSIM cannot receive it – it has no phone number. So create those accounts at home before you leave, where your regular number gets the text reliably. Public Wi-Fi is everywhere in Singapore: across all terminals at Changi Airport, and through Wireless@SG in malls, libraries and many public buildings. It works as a stopgap, but not as your connection for a full day out.
Grab
Southeast Asia's super-app: rides and taxis, food delivery, payments. Uber does not operate in Singapore – it handed its Southeast Asian business to Grab in 2018, and Grab has been the default ever since.
Signing up requires a one-time SMS code. Your data eSIM has no phone number, so set Grab up at home before you fly, using your regular number.
MyICA Mobile
The official app of Singapore's immigration authority, ICA. You use it to submit the SG Arrival Card, the digital entry form: scan your passport, fill in a few fields, cover up to ten travellers in one go.
The arrival card is mandatory for foreign visitors and only accepted within the three days before you arrive; the app is just one of two ways, the ICA website works too. Do it at home on Wi-Fi. Submission is free – any site charging you for it is not the official one.
SimplyGo
The fare system for the MRT and buses. The app shows your journeys and charges and lets you manage stored-value cards.
You don't need the app to ride at all: just tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard at the gate. Cards issued outside Singapore carry a S$0.60 admin fee for every day you use them.
CDG Zig
The app of ComfortDelGro, the country's largest taxi operator. It books real licensed, metered taxis – a solid fallback when Grab is running surge prices.
Paying the taxi by credit or charge card adds a 10 percent admin fee on top of the fare, plus tax on that fee. Cash or a local payment method comes out cheaper.
foodpanda
Food delivery, plus groceries through Pandamart. Strong on hawker stalls and simple restaurants. Alongside GrabFood, one of the big delivery apps in the country.
The rider calls or texts if they can't find you. A data-only eSIM leaves you unreachable by phone – give your hotel's number and reply through the in-app chat.
Chope
Founded in Singapore and the normal way to book a table. Many restaurants take bookings through it, and it carries dining vouchers.
Some restaurants ask for a credit card as a guarantee or charge a fee if you don't show up. That sits in the fine print of the individual booking – read it before you confirm.
Frequently Asked Questions about Singapore eSIM
Data, calls, real phone numbers, top-ups and setup — everything you need to know before you buy a Simbye eSIM.
